Christmas Presence
by Lunis
Summary: Christmas is a special time for the plant brothers, Vash and Knives. It's a time where they can forget the disagreements between each other. Follow them through their lives as they celebrate Christmas each year.
1. Year 1

Author's Notes: I promised myself I'd put this story out today. Since it's a chapter story, I guess it's kind of late for Christmas. But everyone is still in the spirit…right? What do you think of the title? Stupid? I won't blame you. That summary was hard to phrase well, too. I hope it's adequate. I'm not really satisfied with this chapter. It's far too boring. I hate it when I get stuck in a plot hole or don't know how to move from one scene to the next. Frustrating. If it's of any consolation, I already have a good idea of what this story is going to be like. I already have two more chapters finished. I'm going to space out the updates, though, so that when I run out of prewritten chapters, it won't seem like I've suddenly slowed down. And there's a problem. After I wrote the other chapters, I found an inconsistency with the anime. Darn it. I'm going to have to give it a makeover. That might take some time. Let's just hope I have enough willpower to finish this story.

Chapter One: Year 1

Rem, Vash, and Knives sat in the Rec. Room, in the middle of a card game.

"Rem, do you have any aces?" Knives asked.

Rem giggled, "Go fish!"

"You seem really happy today, Rem," Vash observed with a smile.

"I'm excited!" she replied, "Do you boys know what today is?"

The twins shook their heads, both gazes fixed on her curiously.

"It's Christmas Eve!" Rem cheered and clapped her hands together.

Knives looked thoughtful, "Christmas Eve?"

"What's that?" Vash asked.

Rem cleared her throat, "Well, back on earth, there was a holiday called Christmas. It was a day made for generosity and peace. There was an old legend that on the night before Christmas - Christmas Eve - a large man dressed all in red would fly through the air on a sleigh pulled by reindeer and land on top of your house while you were sleeping.-"

Vash interrupted, "Rem, what's a sleigh?"

"And what are reindeer?" added Knives.

Rem paused to think for a minute, "Here, I have an idea. Come with me, and I'll show you on the computer."

The boys followed their teacher down some corridors of the SEEDS ship and into a monitor room. Rem sat down at a computer and began to type. She brought up a picture of a sleigh and explained that it was used to ride through the snow. Then she brought up a picture of a reindeer and explained that they were sometimes used to pull the sleigh.

Rem then continued her story, "So the large man named Santa Clause would land on your roof while you slept. Then, he would grab his big bag of presents and jump down your chimney!"

Before either of the twins had the chance to ask, Rem had brought up pictures of a chimney and explained it to them.

"Santa would then come out your fireplace and put some presents from his bag in your house. Most people would leave cookies and milk for him to eat when he came. So after his job was done, he would get back into his sleigh and move on to the next house, until then next morning when all the houses had been visited."

"Is Santa Clause real?" Vash turned to Rem, unsure.

"I don't think so, but it is a nice story," she responded. Both boys nodded in understanding. "In reality, on Christmas Day, most people celebrate by giving each other presents and spending time with them."

After a few more questions and comments from the boys, the three went back to the Rec. Room to finish their card game. At the end of the game, it turned out that Knives won, barely, from the points of his four aces.

A voice of suddenly came through the speakers in the room, "Rem, could I have your assistance up at the bridge?"

Rem answered the voice, "Sure, Joey. I'll be right there." Turning to the twins, she smiled sweetly, "I'll see you boys later."

"Bye Rem!" responded Vash. Knives waved a goodbye.

After a few moments of silence between the brothers, Vash spoke up, "I wonder how Santa fit into the chimneys…"

Knives laughed at the thought. "And how did his sleigh fly through the air? That story is completely illogical," he said good-naturedly.

The rest of the day by quickly, and soon, the boys were put to bed.

The next morning, Knives woke up and opened his bleary eyes to see Vash doing the same in the bed beside him. He watched as his brother's eyes comically shot fully open in realization.

"Knives! Today is Christmas!" he chirped enthusiastically.

"I know. Let's hurry and get down to breakfast."

The boys quickly dressed and walked to the cafeteria. The rest of the crew was already getting their breakfast when they arrived.

Rem looked up from her seat and grinned as they came in and sat down, "Hello Vash; Knives." They nodded a 'hello' in response.

The twins noticed a well decorated package next to each of their plates with a tag that read:

"To: Vash (/Knives)

From: Santa Clause"

They immediately recognized who it was really from.

"What is it, Rem?" Vash inquired.

"Open it and find out, silly!" she chided playfully.

Knives was the first to finish unwrapping his gift. He picked up the item inside and examined it curiously. Vash finished opening his and inspected it as well. Each boy held a small dome of glass. Inside the dome, they could see a tiny house with a sleigh and reindeer perched on top of it.

"They're snow globes," Rem informed. "Shake them, and it will seem as though that little house is going through a blizzard."

Both boys had learned about snow earlier on, and were fascinated when they shook their globes and were actually able to see what it looked like.

"Thank you, Rem. I like this a lot," Knives said, smiling.

"Yeah, Rem! Thank you so much! ..." Vash suddenly looked down in regret, "But…we didn't get anything for you…"

Knives' expression also changed to remorse.

Rem walked over to them and gave them both a big hug, "Don't be silly! Just being with you two is the best present of all!"

Knives' and Vash's expressions lightened, and they hugged her right back.

"Merry Christmas, boys."

Vash and Knives chorused, "Merry Christmas, Rem."

Author's Notes: I know this chapter isn't so great, but I think it gets better. And do you think I'm going to write every year of Christmas they've been through? Sorry, but that would be insane. And my brain would explode. I'm just writing about a few important years in their lives. Reviews make me very happy, and since it's Christmas, maybe you could give me one out of the kindness of your heart. Oh, and if anyone is wondering, I had a great Christmas. I got the last two Trigun DVD's and the hardback version of Trigun volume 2 (which just came out ). Lunis happy.


	2. Year 17

Author's Notes: Well, I am truly upset. Not even one review? Even most of the worst stories get reviews. Does mine really suck that much? I am really discouraged. I almost don't want to continue, but I promised myself I would. I'm going to go cry in a dark corner now. …Yes, I am trying to get pity. I'm so shameless. But I'll trade pity for reviews any day. Come on, I know the first chapter sucked, but just stay with me, okay? Does the Christmas spirit have to leave us right after Christmas? I think not. I wish someone cared enough to take about two minutes to send a review, because, in my opinion, no reviews are just as bad as flames. Well, enough voicing my disappointments. I'll leave you to decide whether to find it in your heart to review or not.

In this story, I'm assuming that Vash only spent a short time in the floating ship and then lived back on Gunsmoke. And I think they were only on the SEEDS ship for a year. If anyone has any proof or evidence otherwise…well it would be nice to be informed about it, but I'm not sure if I could change it in the story. I've already had to change a lot in this chapter, because I found something that didn't fit with the anime. I liked it better before, but I really want to be as consistent with the anime as much as I can. Sorry if anyone is out of character.

Chapter Two: Year 17

Vash walked absently through the small house he had been renting. It was another Christmas Eve without his brother. A few years ago, Vash had shot him and run away. He would miss Christmas with Knives. The Christmas after they landed on this planet, Vash and Knives had promised each other that, whatever animosity they had towards each other at that time, they would forget about it on Christmas Day. Every year, on that day, they would forget their arguments and spend a peaceful day with each other. And not to mention the gifts. Vash and Knives had always given each other a thoughtful present. Funny how they hardly paid attention to their own birthdays. No, Christmas was their big holiday.

Vash found himself staring out the window…again. He sighed. He really did miss his brother, but he just didn't think he could live with Knives when he kept plotting to kill off the human race.

The plant sat at a table and rested his head on his arms. It was finally starting to become less of a shock to him that Knives caused the Great Fall. He killed all those people. If it wasn't for Rem-

'Rem…'

He closed his eyes as they started to water. Rem saved the entire human race from extinction, and sacrificed her life to do it.

His train of thought continued. So, as if nearly killing of the entire human race wasn't enough, Knives went and built a couple of guns capable of miles worth of destruction. He tried to convince Vash to help him, but Vash would never kill anyone. They deserved a chance! Vash had tackled Knives and grabbed a gun. In his rage, he pointed the gun at his twin. Before Vash even realized what he had done, Knives was on his knees, clutching a bleeding bullet wound on his leg. Vash would never forget the look of shock, pain, and betrayal on his brother's face. It was too much for Vash. He screamed and, grabbing the other gun, ran away, ignoring his brother's pleas for him to come back.

He wondered where his brother was. He hoped Knives was doing well; maybe even learning to like humans. But, of course, Vash knew thinking that would be putting his hopes way too high. He only prayed that his brother wasn't off killing people. At least Vash had both Knives' powerful guns with him. That fact ensured a lot more safety to the humans.

Vash decided to go outside for some fresh air. He sat down in a chair in front of the house and stared up at the clear blue sky. He just couldn't get his mind off the past that day. Deep in memory, he sat in that place for many hours more.

Vash awoke in his bed the next morning and yawned.

"Oh yeah…Christmas," he said rather unenthusiastically as he began to get dressed.

Christmas had used to be his favorite day of the year, but now, that day only brought feelings of regret and loneliness.

Fully dressed, Vash prepared to walk down to the little doughnut shop for breakfast. Doughnuts had always seemed to cheer him up. He opened the front door and paused. On the ground, right in front of the door, was a package. It was wrapped in dark blue paper with snowflake prints decorating it further.

Vash read the card that rested on top of the package,

'To: Vash

From: Santa Clause'

Vash almost dropped the present.

'No way…! It couldn't be…' he thought wildly.

He recognized the graceful, controlled handwriting, as well.

"Kn- Knives?" he spoke to himself in disbelief.

He unwrapped the present, still in a sort of surprised panic. Inside was a black and white checkered board and an ornately carved wooden box. He lifted the lid off the small box to find black and white chess pieces. He was sure this gift was from Knives, now. Chess was one of their favorite games back on the SEEDS ship.

'So Knives knows where I live, now… That's kind of creepy.' Vash thought, but he was even more delighted to know his brother still cared enough to send him a gift all the way from…wherever he was.

Vash contentedly set up the chess board, putting each piece in its place. He left the board out for decoration and, after admiring it for a moment, resumed his trek to the doughnut shop.

Halting for a moment at the front door, he thought to himself, 'Thank you, Knives,' and continued walking.

Author's Notes: Sorry if my chapters end abruptly. There's just no other way I can think to end them.


	3. Year 18

Author's Notes: Hey, thanks for the reviews! It sure encouraged me and let me know that people are actually reading this. Well, I guess I'll post this chapter, now. This one is my favorite out of the three put up so far. I haven't started writing the next chapter, so I don't know when you should expect it.

Chapter Three: Year 18

It was the night of Christmas Eve, again. Vash was busy filling a well insulated thermos full of milk. On the counter lay a flat package wrapped in red and green striped paper. The card on top read,

"To: 'Santa Clause'

From: Vash"

Finished filling the thermos, Vash put some cloth on his hands and took a batch of cookies out of the oven. When the cookies had cooled enough, he placed them on a large plate and covered it with plastic wrap. He stood back for a moment to admire his work. Yes, this would definitely do.

Vash had thought that if his brother was going to send him gifts even when he was far away, it wouldn't seem right not to send Knives anything in return. And if Knives was going to continue to call himself "Santa Clause", then he would get the cookies and milk that goes with the job.

Vash set the cookies and milk outside on a stand by the front door, and laid the present outside the foot of the entrance. This Christmas wouldn't be lonely at all. Vash had invited a couple of friends to come over then for chess and card games. The plant sighed contently as he went off to go to bed. Christmas was, once again, his favorite time of year.

The golden-haired plant awoke the next morning and got dressed. His guests would be here any minute. Soon enough, there was a knock at the door. Vash walked over and opened it. Outside stood two tall men.

"Hey Vash," the taller of the two men grinned, waving a bottle of whiskey, "Look what I brought!"

"Hey, Bryan. Keith," Vash nodded to the other man who appeared to be looking at something.

Keith spoke up as he entered the house, "Hey, you have a package out there."

"Ah," Vash acknowledged as he went to bring it in. Picking up the present, Vash smiled as he noticed that the cookies and milk were gone.

'Gah. Note to self: Next time use cheaper dishes,' he thought as he realized the plate and thermos were gone as well.

When Vash came back in and set the present on the table, the guys were already pouring the whiskey and dealing the cards.

"Who's it from?" Bryan leaned over to read the card on the package as Vash sat down. "Santa Clause? …Vash, do you have a secret admirer?" he grinned teasingly.

Vash blushed, "Wha?! No! It's from my _brother_!"

"Oh!" Bryan laughed at his own misinterpretation.

"You have a brother? I always thought you were an only child," commented Keith.

Vash shook his head, "Nope. I've got a twin brother."

"A twin?! That must be really cool," Bryan remarked.

Vash thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess it is pretty cool," he agreed.

"So are you gonna open it, or what?" asked Bryan rhetorically.

The plant nodded and began opening his gift. The other two men watched intently as Vash finished and pulled the gift out of its box. Vash laughed out loud. In his hand was a green and orange striped tie. He didn't know his brother had that kind of a sense of humor! It was a pleasant surprise.

Bryan cracked up and Keith chuckled.

"A gag gift! Man, if I ever met your brother, I think I would really like him!" Bryan said, snickering.

"Uh…heh," Vash refrained from commenting that his brother would most likely kill Bryan on the spot.

The plant tied the tie around his head, letting it hang to the side of his face goofily, and took a gulp of his whiskey, "Alrighty, let's get this game started."

Keith dealt the cards, and the three men started their card game.

Knives sat in his chair at a computer console, typing away at the controls.

A voice broke the silence from the other side of the door, "Boss…"

The platinum blonde turned his chair around, "Come in, Shadow."

A man covered in black clothing stepped into the room and knelt in front of his boss. Knives waited expectantly for his gofer's news.

"This was left outside Vash's house," the black-clad man handed up a striped package.

Knives blinked in surprise. Somewhat stupefied, he took the present that was offered to him.

As soon as the package left his hand, Shadow continued, "and these, as well." He held up a wrapped plate of cookies and a thermos of milk.

Blankly, Knives took the items and set them on the console and to the side. He lifted the present up to read the card, and his dazed look disappeared. As he put everything together in his mind, an elated grin slowly crept up his face. He paused, noticing his lackey was still in his presence.

Straightening his face to look serious, he turned to face Shadow, again. "You may go now," he ordered.

As soon as the man was gone, Knives' grin spread back into place. His brother had gotten something for him in return. He unwrapped the gift and pulled out a book. The title read _The Night before Christmas: a Story from Earth_. Interested, he turned to the first page. Taking a bite out of a cookie, he began to read the story.

Author's Notes: Okay, time for some comments. I'm actually not too unhappy about this chapter. I'm glad it isn't even shorter than the ones I've already posted.

Did you think putting the milk in a thermos was weird? Well, if you left it out normally it would probably spoil!

Lolz I couldn't help making Knives give Vash his green and orange tie! It's just too funny!

And yay, we actually get to see Knives this chapter! I know I don't put enough of him in, but sometimes it just doesn't fit with the part of the story.

Were you expecting to see Legato? Sorry, he's not born yet! oO Remember, the twins are only eighteen years old…which I think sounds kinda weird.

Wow, I have three original characters in this chapter. I doubt you'll ever see any of these characters again; my apologies if that is disappointing. So, who is Shadow? He works for Knives, specializing in stealth (Hence the name "Shadow." --;). He wouldn't want to get caught while delivering presents giggles! Does he get paid? I dunno! I guess that depends if the Gung-Ho Guns get paid.

Mega huge time jump next chapter. I would put more in between those times, but I don't have any ideas that would make it interesting enough.

Sorry if anyone is out of character in this fic. And please let me know if anything in here is inconsistent with the anime. Now please R and R! It really lifts my spirits to get feedback!


	4. Years 95 and 97

Author's Notes: Thanks so much for the positive feedback! I know this isn't the most interesting of stories, but I'm glad you have stuck with it this far. I really do wish I could write more interestingly. I need to give more details or describe things better, I think. But it's hard! And I'm not sure, but I might be too afraid of making people OOC that I make them personality-less. What do you think? I also saw some format errors. I put separators in when I changed scenes, but this site took those out (tell me if it's hard to read, now). They're really starting to frustrate me… Rant on. Also, they changed my Review History to view only the last 100 reviews. I don't know about you, but I like to keep track of **all** the stories I review. Definitely more than 100. And lately, my Review History has been disabled **completely**! Having Review History is one of the most important abilities to me, on this site. If this keeps up, they will most likely be getting an e-mail of discontent from me…if I could find their e-mail address! Raargh! Rant off. Oh yes, and tell me if I get the years wrong.

Chapter Four

Year 95

The hotel room Vash now resided in was small and a bit cramped, but that didn't matter much. He would probably be leaving, soon. Ever since the Bernardelli Insurance Society put a $$60 billion bounty on his head five months ago, all kinds of bounty hunters had been tracking him down.

'Hey, maybe they'll take a break for Christmas,' he thought hopefully, with a sheepish grin.

He glanced at the present on the table he just wrapped, and his smile faded. He had a bad feeling about Knives. Vash could remember so little of the July incident that happened less than six months ago, but he did feel that both he and Knives were a major part of it. He had no idea what happened to Knives afterward. But whenever he thought about it, a dark feeling would rise within him, as if he should remember something terrible, something severe. Worry had crept into his mind. He was pretty sure that, despite whatever happened that day in July and whatever Knives had done in the past, Vash didn't want his brother to die. The spiky blonde gently set the package as well as milk and cookies outside the door of his room. How Knives actually found out where Vash was and received the gift, Vash never knew, but not a single year had Knives failed in exchanging gifts. Vash willed the uneasiness away as he changed into his pajamas and slipped into bed.

Vash blinked awake as the rising sun reached his eyelids. He got up and walked to the front door. Slowly, he opened the door, almost afraid to see the outcome. As the door opened fully, his heart sank. In the hallway, everything lay untouched. There was no sign that anyone had been there. He felt overwhelmed by anxiety and… guilt? Why did he feel guilty? Had he done something to cause this? He dismally took everything back inside and sat down heavily in a chair at the table. Laying an elbow on the table, he rested his forehead in his palm. Tears threatened the corners of his eyes.

"This is so wrong…" he whispered to himself, "Everything is so wrong. Why did all of this have to happen?"

Vash was brought out of his thoughts when he heard loud voices downstairs.

"Where is Vash the Stampede?" a deep gruff voice hollered, "I know he's here somewhere, so you better tell me!"

Vash cursed and swiftly began packing up his few belongings. "Why can't they ever just leave me alone?!" he wailed in frustration.

He didn't even have time to change out of his pajamas as he opened his window, preparing to jump out. He eased himself out the window and fell a story to the ground, rolling to ease the impact. People stared at him strangely as he ran down the street, barefoot. Finally he reached the edge of the town. Quickly pulling on his boots to keep his feet from burning on the sand, the plant walked out into the desert. Vash tried not to think about anything as he journeyed to find the next city that would accept him for a while.

Year 97

Vash woke up late that Christmas morning. That day was now no more important than any other day of the year. He had ceased setting out presents for Knives, since there was no point. Vash hadn't heard anything from Knives since the destruction of July city about two and a half years ago. He figured the only realistic choice was to assume his twin had died. And it broke his heart. He couldn't count the number of times he'd cried over his brother.

The gentle outlaw tiredly pushed his feet over the edge of the bed and sat up. He hadn't slept very well last night. It was a shame, too. He may not get a chance to rest in such a comfortable hotel room as this for another long while. Yawning, he stood up and trudged to the table to eat from the box of the doughnuts he bought yesterday. As he glanced at the table, he froze. On it's surface were not one, but three wrapped packages. Too afraid to get his hopes up only to be dashed, the plant cautiously and slowly read the cards on each gift.

He couldn't believe it!

'To: Vash

From: Santa Clause,' on each one.

"Knives…" Vash said in a choked whisper.

Happy tears spilled from his eyes. His brother was alive! It was indescribable how heavy a burden was just lifted from his spirit. After a few moments to compose himself, Vash turned his attention back to the presents. He noticed that each one was dated. One for this year, one for last year, and one for the year before last; the year of the July incident. He now thought he understood. Knives must not have been able to send him anything, for some reason or another, so he sent two more gifts this year to make up for it.

Vash genuinely smiled as he opened the first gift, marked the year before last. The smile straightened as he pulled the gift from its box. It was his silver gun, the one that Knives made. The golden blonde remembered very vaguely that he had dropped it back in July. Since then, he had been using the gun installed into his mechanical arm. He didn't know quite what to think. He supposed it was better off in his own hands than his brother's and assumed Knives meant well when he sent it to Vash. Neutrally, he moved on to the next present.

Removing the wrapping, he lifted off the lid to the somewhat flat box. He gasped as he saw what was inside. He stared at it, eyes wide.

"How did he get this?!," he asked himself unbelievingly, "How could he possibly have had this?"

In the box was a photograph encased in a simple frame. It was a picture of the twins as young boys sitting with Rem in the Rec. Room and smiling enthusiastically at the camera. Vash still remembered the time that picture was taken all those years ago. Mary had offered to take it one day while they were eating lunch. It had taken a few tries to get it right, since on the first try, Vash had PB&J on his face, and the second try, Knives blinked, and the third time, Rem was about to sneeze. Vash chuckled at the fond memory.

As he moved on to the last present, Vash wondered how in the world Knives' final gift could top the last gift that Vash opened. But after all the surprises the gunman already received today, he was prepared for just about anything. Anything but what was in the box. In his hand lay a dome of glass. Inside the dome, was a tiny house with a sleigh and reindeer perched on top of it.

'It couldn't possibly be the same one,' he told himself, but flipped it over to see the bottom, just to satisfy his curiosity.

'Vash

Project SEEDS,' was written on the bottom.

It _was_ the same one! Vash had to have still been dreaming. There was no way it could truly be happening. It was too good to be true. Vash knew any moment now, he would wake up and be crestfallen to find that none of this actually happened. Apprehensively, he reached over with his mechanical arm and pinched his other arm.

"Ow…" he murmured from the dull pain. Realization hit him, "…that means..."

Again, his vision blurred from joyful tears.

"Thank you so much, brother," he whispered even though he was sure Knives couldn't hear him, "This means everything to me."

Vash leaned back in his chair. In all his ninety-seven years of living, this had to be one of the best Christmases ever.

He contentedly pulled his doughnut box toward him and began to eat his breakfast while admiring his gifts.

Author's Notes: Okay, my brain just died. Year 97 took SOO long for me to finish. I hope it was satisfying and not boring. I also hope that Vash wasn't OOC or that anything was too farfetched. It just wouldn't cooperate very well with me. I didn't think it would be that long, either. Reviews are precious to me, so tell me what you think. Kay, I just tried everything within my power to get this site to let me use dividers, but alas, this story must remain dividerless. I am so glad to be done with this chapter, because it took me forever to think of how to phrase things. In other words, Year 97 was 1 inspiration and 99 perspiration. Excuse me while I recharge my brain with mindless activities.


	5. Year 131, Part 1

Author's Notes: I feel so evil! I haven't updated in forever! Seriously, I hadn't forgotten about this fic, nor had I planned to put it on hold. It was just that 1, every single time I sat down to write more, something else demanded my attention (Raar!), 2, I actually wrote this chapter and most of the next, but then decided to split it in half, because it was so long, and 3, I'm not satisfied with how this chapter turned out! It just seems that this chapter doesn't _want_ to be written. It frustrates me!

Oh yes, ahem, let me announce that the next chapter will be the last chapter in the story. If you think it's too short, I agree. But I really can't make it longer. All that I wanted to write in thiswill basically have been written at the end of the naxt chapter. Why write more to the story when it was already intended to end there?

Awww, so many reviews! I'm so happy! I thank every single one of you for your reviews. I'll talk more about them after this chapter.

(bawls like a baby) My Review History is un-disabled, and is back with a 200 review limit! Sure that's not as good as the unlimited review history, but I'm just glad it's back. (crying happily on a random reviewer's shoulder)

One last thing before I start the chapter. Has anyone noticed that the number of years passed that show up in the anime never make sense? For example, Knives crashed the SEEDS ships a little after the twins' first birthday (or is that only in the manga?), which meant they only spent a year on the SEEDS ship. Then the next time we see them, the anime says it's ten years later, which would make them eleven years old. Okay. But then Knives comes and says to Vash, "After fifteen years are you still… blah, blah, blah." Fifteen years? (sigh) No sense, no sense at all. So whatever. I'm going by whatever I think is the correct date.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chapter Five

Year 131, Part 1

The smell of sizzling eggs and bacon stirred Knives' senses. His eyes fluttering open, he gingerly sat up in bed. After a few moments of yawning and overall waking up, he grasped his tall walking stick and, leaning part of his weight on it, stood up. His gunshot wounds from his fight with Vash still hadn't fully healed, but they had recovered enough to enable him to walk around with the help of a staff. The injured plant limped the short distance to his closet and pulled out a dusty-blue, button-up shirt and a pair of slate grey pants. After getting dressed, he hobbled to the door and stepped out. He noticed that his brother had stepped out of his room at that same time.

"Morning, Knives," Vash smiled cheerily. He continued speaking without pausing for Knives to respond. "Breakfast smells great! I'm starving!" he exclaimed and raced to the table.

Meryl turned around from her cooking on the stove when she heard the twins walk into the kitchen. "Hey boys, you came in just in time. I made bacon and eggs," she explained and served them their breakfast.

Just as Meryl set down a third plate on the table, Milly burst in through the front door with an armful of small packages. "Hi, everybody! Look what I got from the post office! My family sent me some presents for Christmas. I can hardly wait to open them tomorrow!" she chirped excitedly.

Vash sweat-dropped at the tremendous amount of presents in the girl's arms. "Wow, that's a lot, Big Girl!" he smiled sheepishly. He supposed that was one of the benefits of having a big family.

Milly walked through the kitchen and lay her presents on a coffee table in the living room, then came to sit at the table.

Breakfast went by rather uneventfully. Vash struck up a conversation in which Meryl and Milly participated moderately. Knives stayed pretty much silent unless he was asked a question; nothing unusual. After everyone was finished eating, Vash and Milly left the house to finish their Christmas shopping. Meryl had already finished her Christmas shopping a while ago, and Knives stayed home to keep from overexerting himself.

…………………………

Vash walked down the streets in town steadily, having already determined his destination. He was going to buy Knives' gift first. Knives had been wearing Vash's clothes ever since Vash brought him home a few months ago. The two of them were the same size, after all. The spiky blonde figured that it was about time his brother have his own wardrobe, though. He didn't expect Knives to get him anything in return. Though his twin was recovering well, it would probably still be too taxing on him to walk around town and get him something. Vash was content that his brother was merely with him.

The streets were buzzing with activity. Some people were out with friends and family and having a good time; others were rushing to complete their Christmas shopping list, as Vash, himself, was. Vash arrived at the clothing store he decided on. It was pretty well kept up, and the clothes were well made, yet not too expensive. He took in the pleasant smell of clean fabric as he searched through the multitude of clothes. He found a good pair of black jeans that he expected would look exceptionally good on Knives; three shirts, one navy blue, one dark red, and one white; a pair of sturdy, black boots; and a few more pairs of pants. After trying everything on in the dressing room to make sure they would fit all right on his brother, he took the clothes to the front of the store and pulled out some money.

"Thank you, sir, and have a merry Christmas," the cashier woman said politely, after Vash paid for the clothes.

Vash acknowledged her with a smile and a "Thanks, you too," and stepped out the door.

He had already gotten Milly's present, so now it was Meryl's turn.

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That night, a few hours after a hardy Christmas Eve dinner, Knives, Milly, and Meryl sat in the living room, the latter two conversing between each other. Vash had gotten up to get something from the kitchen.

"-so then, little, little brother thought it was broken and tried to hide it in his closet!" Milly finished. Meryl chuckled lightly at Milly's humorous tale.

Knives inaudibly sighed, slightly bored. What was Vash doing, anyway…? Almost as if he had heard his name being thought, Vash strode out of the kitchen. He walked over to Knives and thrust a drink in front of him. Eyeing it curiously, Knives took it from him. The liquid was thick and off-white. Definitely not milk. He held it under his nose and sniffed it gingerly. It was not like anything he had smelled before, though he could not mistake the scent of alcohol.

"What is it?" he asked suspiciously.

"It's eggnog!" the grinning plant replied.

Knives frowned at the drink skeptically. Even the name sounded unappetizing.

"Come on, Knives. Stop deliberating and just drink it. It's good; I promise!" Vash urged.

Deciding to trust his twin, Knives took a careful sip of his drink. It _was_ pretty good.

"Like it?" questioned Vash.

Knives nodded once, and Vash smiled, saying that he knew he would.

Turning around, Vash politely asked the girls if they wanted any.

"Does it have alcohol in it?" inquired Meryl.

At Vash's answer of, "Of course!" the petite woman good-naturedly declined. Milly, on the other hand, was more than happy to have some.

"Just make sure not to give her too much, Vash." Meryl warned him.

To Meryl's slight surprise, both Vash and Milly drank responsibly. Most likely because they didn't want a hangover on Christmas morning. After Knives finished his drink, he announced that he was going to bed early. To that, he received an, "Aw, you're no fun," from Vash. A few hours later, the rest of them decided to turn in as well.

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Author's Notes: That chapter seemed pretty boring, didn't it? That's okay. I think it's just because it was only the first half of a longer chapter until I split it in half. The other half is quite a bit better than this one, in my opinion. I'll post it as soon as I can figure out an ending for it. I'll try not to keep you waiting for so very long, but I've just gotten really busy lately. Oh, by the way, I would have poster this chapter more than a week earlier, but my internet died the day I was going to post it! And then I went on vacation for a while. But rejoice, for I am still alive. Now for the review replies.

Canyon A. Lynn: Thank you very much for the advice! It helped a lot. It may not have shown very much in this chapter, but from now on, I will think about what you said when I write.

tir-synni: Thankies! Don't you just love the twins when they're happy together?

hope-is-4ever: Yeah, I tend to annoy people, because I'm kind of hard on myself. I know that I'm not an expert fanfiction writer, but I'm glad I'm making some people happy. And at least FFN bumped the review history limit to 200.

Magnet-Rose: _"How absolutly rotten of me. I read this first chapter when it came out."_ (sweat)That's okay. It took me forever to review yours, as well. Ooh, thanks for all the compliments! _"I tend to be a little wacko in some and others a dead beaver."_ Lol! XD That was so funny. I like your reviews! Nothing wrong with them.

Ssjjvash: Hello, my CAA friend! I'm glad you read my story and even gladder you liked it! (hugs)

Faery Goddyss: Hehe, the idea of Knives giving Vash something familiar to the show just wouldn't leave me alone. Yes, I believe Vash and Knives care very much about much other. They just…show it a bit oddly at times. (remembers when Knives shoots Vash's arm off) o.O; Pretty funny that I'm writing a Christmas fanfiction at the end of march. dies


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